Abstract

• The main purpose of this study is to study the correlation between middle school students’ attitudes and achievement in mathematics. A quantitative research method was mainly used to study students’ attitudes. A descriptive research design was adopted in this study that was conducted in Yangon Region. The sample schools for this study were selected randomly. Two high schools and one middle school were selected from each district, Yangon Region. Therefore, eight high schools and four middle schools were included in this study. There were (600) Grade Seven Students participated in this study. As instruments, an attitude questionnaire and an achievement test were used. For the reliability of instruments, a pilot testing with (50) Grade Seven students was conducted. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha) of the students’ attitudes questionnaire was (.725) and the students’ achievement test was (.742). In this study, the data were analyzed by using the descriptive analysis techniques and Pearson product moment correlation. The research findings revealed that there were positive correlations between students’ attitudes and their mathematics achievement (r = .705, p<.01), students’ confidence in learning mathematics and students’ mathematics achievement (r = .728, p < .01), effectance motivation in learning mathematics and students’ mathematics achievement (r = .767, p< .01), mathematics usefulness and students’ mathematics achievement (r = .786, p< .01) and the general perceptions about teaching and learning mathematics and the students’ mathematics achievement (r = .641, p< .01). But there was a negative correlation between students’ attitudes in terms of mathematics anxiety and their mathematics achievement (r = -.798, p< .01).